Hi,
So, the speedometer on my KZJ78 has been making whining noises ever since I got the truck. Usually it is not a tremendous annoyance as I tend to drive with the windows down surrounded by the other typical noises every old Cruiser makes. But add to that the constant shakiness of the Speedo needle and a few dim or dead instrument cluster bulbs, I knew I needed to go after them.
I knew this is not a major surgery, but as always I tried to learn all that I can from those who had done it before. I did find some useful tips here from multiple users but never a full write-up. So here is one
You will need the following tools:
1. #2 Philips or even better, a pozidriv screwdriver
2. Large flat blade screwdriver
3. Lineman pliers or similar
4. 90° dental poke or similar
Parts for the job, pictured:
I ordered two colors of the T5 LEDs (green and white) to pick only one, and I settled on the white ones.
The procedure:
Go ahead and take a good picture of your dash while everything is illuminated (key in on, hub locks/4wd, lights and flashers engaged etc) so you can have a reference for how you would like your lights to be afterwards.
I had a bunch of dead bulbs as you can see:
Remove the headunit plastic surround and center vent, then remove the two Philips screws above the cluster facing down. It helps to lower the steering wheel down to its lowest position. Starting at the left, begin to gently prying the trim surrounding the instrument cluster, it's easy just be patient with it so you don't break the precious brittle plastic. There are two electrical connectors on each side of the trim to be unplugged, your mirror controls/OD,ETC lights and your power hub/4wd,glow,filter lights respectively. When done, you should end up with something like this:
Move your attention to the footwell, exiting upward from the top right of the front of the transmission hump is the Speedo cable. You will see it being fastened upwards with a metal bracket and also a plastic clip attached to the brake pedal bracket. Free the cable from these attachments using your pliers and dental poke respectively, this will yield you enough slack for the next steps.
(Try to ignore the all too familiar Japanese rats nest left by the PO
I will weed it all out soon I promise)
Moving swiftly to the underside of the vehicle. Using hands or pliers, undo the speedometer cable end at the backend of the tranfercase and using the large screwdriver, free the cable from its two metal brackets nearby.
Back in behind the wheel, remove the four screws holding the cluster to the dash and detach the cluster gently by wiggling it at different directions. Don't pull the cluster out more then a couple of inches just yet. It also might help to finagle the cable upward a bit. Here you will see the three harness plugs and the Speedo terminal behind the cluster.
Depending on if you are right or left handed, make room for your dominant hand to go behind the cluster detaching the cable terminal first (the cable and plugs each have a single plastic tap to depress, easy stuff, just be patient).
Once done. Move the freed up cluster to your kitchen, clean it well with alcohol/rag etc, maybe avoid compressed air as I am not sure if you can stop dust from going inside the cluster adding to your work.
There are two types of incandescent bulbs here, the larger ones are the T10 and the smaller are the T5. Toyota used little green condoms on top of some of of both to generate the green backlight for the dials and odometer. The rest are clear (including the two turning signal indicators as they get their color from built-in colored lenses. After a quick dry fit to confirm polarity and test the brightness, I determined that I like the white back light better. So swap the glass envelops with the LED blades accordingly. Test the lights by temporarily attaching the three harnesses to cluster and triggering lights.
If some of the lights were too bright, harish, or produced too much light bleed. Slip some black heat shrink on the sides to blank the side firing LEDs, and dust some baking soda on the front LEDs that are too bright, then glass them with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue). The baking soda/glue reaction will produce a glass hard frosted diffuser for the front firing LEDs. Again, this is only if you felt that they were too bright. I only did that to the turning signal T10s as they were lit up like a Seven-eleven in Reno
(Sleeved and diffused T10 next to stock ones)
Back to the cable. The Speedo cable enters the cabin via a built-in rubber grommet that comes already attached at the right depth from Toyota. Pull the old grommet out from underneath the vehicle and work the cable out the same direction. Now, start feeding the new cable in from underneath with the occasional tug and pull from inside the vehicle whenever it hits something. This is also trivial, I am just trying to cover everything I can remember.
Once your new grommet reaches home, go ahead and seat it carefully in place, and work the cable back up behind the dash like it was before. Attach it first to the cluster, then the plugs, reseat the cluster back home and finesse the cable back to where it attaches to the metal bracket and plastic clip inside the cabin.
Before creeping back under the truck, salvage the best looking of the three plastic retainers from the old cable (Toyota forgot to supply one on the new cable, must be the fit of a newer 70). I chose the one from the interior part of the cable as I think I had a slightly easier life (not much easier, it's a 70 Series after all) than the other outdoors ones. Affix the retainer to where it's needed under the vehicle so that both metal brackets there have something to grab to. Finally, thread in the cable into the tranfercase minding the correct orientation. (It only goes one way so no drama) And fasten the threaded end by hand. Reinstall your plastic trim and vents and you are done!
The annoying speedometer noises are totally gone, the needle is rock solid now almost electronic in movement, and now you can see the damn thing at night for a change. Do it!
Cheers
So, the speedometer on my KZJ78 has been making whining noises ever since I got the truck. Usually it is not a tremendous annoyance as I tend to drive with the windows down surrounded by the other typical noises every old Cruiser makes. But add to that the constant shakiness of the Speedo needle and a few dim or dead instrument cluster bulbs, I knew I needed to go after them.
I knew this is not a major surgery, but as always I tried to learn all that I can from those who had done it before. I did find some useful tips here from multiple users but never a full write-up. So here is one
You will need the following tools:
1. #2 Philips or even better, a pozidriv screwdriver
2. Large flat blade screwdriver
3. Lineman pliers or similar
4. 90° dental poke or similar
Parts for the job, pictured:
I ordered two colors of the T5 LEDs (green and white) to pick only one, and I settled on the white ones.
The procedure:
Go ahead and take a good picture of your dash while everything is illuminated (key in on, hub locks/4wd, lights and flashers engaged etc) so you can have a reference for how you would like your lights to be afterwards.
I had a bunch of dead bulbs as you can see:
Remove the headunit plastic surround and center vent, then remove the two Philips screws above the cluster facing down. It helps to lower the steering wheel down to its lowest position. Starting at the left, begin to gently prying the trim surrounding the instrument cluster, it's easy just be patient with it so you don't break the precious brittle plastic. There are two electrical connectors on each side of the trim to be unplugged, your mirror controls/OD,ETC lights and your power hub/4wd,glow,filter lights respectively. When done, you should end up with something like this:
Move your attention to the footwell, exiting upward from the top right of the front of the transmission hump is the Speedo cable. You will see it being fastened upwards with a metal bracket and also a plastic clip attached to the brake pedal bracket. Free the cable from these attachments using your pliers and dental poke respectively, this will yield you enough slack for the next steps.
(Try to ignore the all too familiar Japanese rats nest left by the PO
I will weed it all out soon I promise)Moving swiftly to the underside of the vehicle. Using hands or pliers, undo the speedometer cable end at the backend of the tranfercase and using the large screwdriver, free the cable from its two metal brackets nearby.
Back in behind the wheel, remove the four screws holding the cluster to the dash and detach the cluster gently by wiggling it at different directions. Don't pull the cluster out more then a couple of inches just yet. It also might help to finagle the cable upward a bit. Here you will see the three harness plugs and the Speedo terminal behind the cluster.
Depending on if you are right or left handed, make room for your dominant hand to go behind the cluster detaching the cable terminal first (the cable and plugs each have a single plastic tap to depress, easy stuff, just be patient).
Once done. Move the freed up cluster to your kitchen, clean it well with alcohol/rag etc, maybe avoid compressed air as I am not sure if you can stop dust from going inside the cluster adding to your work.
There are two types of incandescent bulbs here, the larger ones are the T10 and the smaller are the T5. Toyota used little green condoms on top of some of of both to generate the green backlight for the dials and odometer. The rest are clear (including the two turning signal indicators as they get their color from built-in colored lenses. After a quick dry fit to confirm polarity and test the brightness, I determined that I like the white back light better. So swap the glass envelops with the LED blades accordingly. Test the lights by temporarily attaching the three harnesses to cluster and triggering lights.
If some of the lights were too bright, harish, or produced too much light bleed. Slip some black heat shrink on the sides to blank the side firing LEDs, and dust some baking soda on the front LEDs that are too bright, then glass them with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue). The baking soda/glue reaction will produce a glass hard frosted diffuser for the front firing LEDs. Again, this is only if you felt that they were too bright. I only did that to the turning signal T10s as they were lit up like a Seven-eleven in Reno
(Sleeved and diffused T10 next to stock ones)
Back to the cable. The Speedo cable enters the cabin via a built-in rubber grommet that comes already attached at the right depth from Toyota. Pull the old grommet out from underneath the vehicle and work the cable out the same direction. Now, start feeding the new cable in from underneath with the occasional tug and pull from inside the vehicle whenever it hits something. This is also trivial, I am just trying to cover everything I can remember
.Once your new grommet reaches home, go ahead and seat it carefully in place, and work the cable back up behind the dash like it was before. Attach it first to the cluster, then the plugs, reseat the cluster back home and finesse the cable back to where it attaches to the metal bracket and plastic clip inside the cabin.
Before creeping back under the truck, salvage the best looking of the three plastic retainers from the old cable (Toyota forgot to supply one on the new cable, must be the fit of a newer 70). I chose the one from the interior part of the cable as I think I had a slightly easier life (not much easier, it's a 70 Series after all
) than the other outdoors ones. Affix the retainer to where it's needed under the vehicle so that both metal brackets there have something to grab to. Finally, thread in the cable into the tranfercase minding the correct orientation. (It only goes one way so no drama) And fasten the threaded end by hand. Reinstall your plastic trim and vents and you are done! The annoying speedometer noises are totally gone, the needle is rock solid now almost electronic in movement, and now you can see the damn thing at night for a change. Do it!
Cheers
Best of luck!
